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The 20 Best Kelly Clarkson Covers: Best “Kellyoke” Songs to Watch

A subjective guide to 20 memorable Kellyoke performances, spanning pop, rock, country, standards, and newer hits—with official NBC clips for “7 Rings” and “River.”
Opened Runtime5 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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There is no official ranking of the best Kellyoke performances, so this is an editorial watchlist: 20 covers chosen for their range of eras and styles, memorable reinterpretations, and the moments that make them worth revisiting. Kellyoke was the opening cover segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show; in a 2024 Associated Press interview, Clarkson said she covered 180 songs a season at that time. That was her interview-era figure, not a verified total for later seasons.

How to read this ranking

Published selections from WatchMojo, Parade, TV Insider, and Good Housekeeping overlap but do not agree on one definitive top 20. The order below is therefore a curated recommendation, not a show-issued list or a scored comparison. The selections balance pop, rock, country, standards, and newer hits, with attention to arrangement, vocal character, and distinctive performance moments documented by those retrospectives.

The 20 best Kellyoke songs

  1. “Fake Plastic Trees” — Radiohead

    A striking choice for a cover segment: the song’s quiet ache leaves room for a more exposed, emotionally direct reading. Parade placed it first in its 2026 retrospective, making it a natural anchor for a list that values interpretation as much as vocal power.

  2. “7 Rings” — Ariana Grande

    Kelly Clarkson’s version is one of the rare entries here with an official NBC clip verified: watch “7 Rings” on NBC. The sleek pop hit makes a useful contrast to Kellyoke’s rock and ballad selections.

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  3. “Seven Nation Army” — The White Stripes

    The instantly recognizable riff gives this rock staple a strong foundation for a live-band cover. It appears in both WatchMojo’s and Parade’s leading selections, a sign of its enduring place among the segment’s most memorable choices.

  4. “9 to 5” — Dolly Parton

    This cover’s standout moment is its guest collaboration: Parade highlights Dolly Parton joining Clarkson for the performance. Hearing the song’s original star share it makes this more than a straightforward tribute.

  5. “Bad Romance” — Lady Gaga

    Parade calls out the rock treatment of Gaga’s dance-pop hit. That shift gives the performance a different shape while preserving the song’s bold, theatrical energy.

  6. “Alone” — Heart

    A natural showcase for a big rock vocal, “Alone” appears across WatchMojo, Parade, and TV Insider’s selections. Its place in multiple independent retrospectives makes it one of the clearest consensus picks.

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  7. “I Wanna Get Better” — Bleachers

    Bleachers’ urgent indie-pop anthem brings a different kind of intensity to the list: its momentum comes from forward drive and emotional release rather than a slow-build ballad format. WatchMojo and Parade both include it.

  8. “Survivor” — Destiny’s Child

    This confident R&B-pop anthem brings a group hit into a solo performance setting. Both WatchMojo and Parade select it, making it a strong pick for listeners who want a more rhythmic, assertive Kellyoke.

  9. “The One That Got Away” — Katy Perry

    Rather than leaning on a dance-pop feel, this song’s nostalgic heartbreak makes it well suited to an emotionally focused cover. It appears in both WatchMojo’s and Parade’s lists.

  10. “Do I Wanna Know?” — Arctic Monkeys

    Parade describes Clarkson’s take as bluesy, a useful change of color for the Arctic Monkeys song’s heavy, deliberate groove. It stands out as one of the more distinctive genre shifts in its selection.

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  11. “She Used to Be Mine” — Sara Bareilles

    This musical-theater ballad gives the list a more intimate, character-centered entry. WatchMojo includes it among its top Kellyoke performances; its appeal lies in the emotional weight of the song rather than an instrumental hook or guest appearance.

  12. “Happier Than Ever” — Billie Eilish

    The song’s contrast between restraint and eruption makes it a natural fit for Kellyoke’s dramatic range. WatchMojo includes it, and it adds a recent-era pop song whose structure gives a performance room to build.

  13. “Queen of the Night” — Whitney Houston

    Parade’s selection brings a high-energy, theatrical Whitney Houston hit into the mix. Its scale and momentum provide a welcome counterweight to the list’s quieter, more reflective covers.

  14. “Viva La Vida” — Coldplay

    Parade includes Coldplay’s anthemic song among its favorites. Its broad, communal feel gives Kellyoke a stadium-sized moment without relying on a conventional guitar-rock cover.

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  15. “Ain’t No Other Man” — Christina Aguilera

    This brassy pop-soul hit offers a different vocal challenge from the rock anthems: crisp rhythmic phrasing and a big, confident delivery. Parade names it in its 2026 retrospective.

  16. “Sisters” — Rosemary Clooney and Trudy Stevens

    WatchMojo’s inclusion of this older standard widens the list beyond contemporary pop and rock. It also shows how Kellyoke could draw on material associated with a classic duet rather than a modern solo hit.

  17. “Pink Pony Club” — Chappell Roan

    Good Housekeeping includes this newer pop song among the covers it remembers. It helps represent the segment’s connection to contemporary artists, rather than treating Kellyoke as a catalog of classic hits alone.

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  18. “Wrecking Ball” — Miley Cyrus

    TV Insider selected this power ballad in its 2022 retrospective. Its dramatic scale makes it a fitting entry for listeners who gravitate toward emotionally charged pop performances.

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  19. “River” — Joni Mitchell

    NBC has an official clip of Clarkson performing this Joni Mitchell song: watch “River” on NBC. The reflective song brings a quieter, more contemplative mood to the playlist.

  20. “ABCDEFU” — Gayle

    WatchMojo includes Gayle’s sharp-edged pop hit. It rounds out the list with a newer, pointedly irreverent song and a contrasting mood to Kellyoke’s tender ballads and older standards.

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Where to watch Kellyoke clips

The most direct viewing option is an official NBC performance page when one is available. NBC’s verified pages for “7 Rings” and “River” are linked above; availability was not confirmed here for every song on this list. Good Housekeeping’s 2026 retrospective also links performances for the entries it discusses. These are performance clips, not evidence that Kellyoke covers were released as commercial recordings.

Why Kellyoke covered so much musical ground

The segment’s breadth was part of its appeal: its cover pool runs from current pop to classic rock, country, standards, and musical-theater songs. In a September 2024 Associated Press interview, Clarkson said, “I cover 180 songs a season, which is awesome. It’s just a lot of work, so to be able to sing songs and be so excited about like these new up-and-coming artists.” The figure is her statement at that time, not a current-season count. In that same interview, she mentioned Chappell Roan, Fletcher, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter among artists she covered or liked.

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Executive producer Alex Duda told Good Housekeeping that music was the show’s “shortcut to connection” and that the team wanted to start with music every day. That framing helps explain why Kellyoke could move from familiar anthems to newer songs and reinterpretations without following a single genre or era.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Bestseller No. 2
The Definitive - Kelly Clarkson 2 CD Christmas Collecton : Greatest Hits - Chapter One / Wrapped In Red
The Definitive - Kelly Clarkson 2 CD Christmas Collecton : Greatest Hits - Chapter One / Wrapped In Red
2 CD Collection; Feat. Jason Aldean, Vince Gill, and Reba McEntire
$29.36
Bestseller No. 4
Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits
Biggest Hits; ABIS_MUSIC; Sony
$63.62

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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